Autodesk Adds Mac Offerings

Autodesk Inc. announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco that it has expanded its portfolio of Macintosh 2D and 3D software tools for entertainment, multimedia and design professionals. The three new products for Mac OS X are Autodesk Toxik for procedural compositing, Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting and texture painting software and Autodesk ImageModeler for image-based modeling and photogrammetry. The 2009 versions of Autodesk Maya 3D modeling, animation and rendering software and Autodesk Stitcher photo-stitching software are already available for Mac.

‘Given the growing adoption of Mac OS X and the production requirements of the Mac community, we’re excited to offer these premiere creative tools to Mac artists,” says Stig Gruman, Digital Entertainment Group VP for Autodesk Media & Entertainment. ‘Autodesk’s product offerings will empower artistic vision and provide Mac users with the tools to bring their creative ideas to life.”

Described as an ideal companion to Maya 2009, Autodesk Toxik 2009 is a node-based digital compositing software designed to bring powerful, integrated compositing and effects capabilities to independent 2D visual effects artists and large-scale film and broadcast facilities. The software facilitates high-efficiency, collaborative, iterative workflows, and offers a suite of new tools to support stereoscopic productions and the creation of set extensions with real-time interactive high-resolution compositing. Toxik 2009 for Mac OS X is expected to be available in English in March of 2009. The Autodesk suggested retail price is expected to be $3,495.

Autodesk Mudbox 2009 is designed to be a highly intuitive application for painting, texturing and re-touching 3D models. The application provides an organic brush-based 3D modeling and texture painting experience. Mudbox 2009 for Mac OS X is expected to be available in English in February for the suggested retail pricing of $745

Autodesk ImageModeler 2009 is an image-based modeling and photogrammetry software that generates 3D models from photographs, giving architects, designers and entertainment content creators a new approach to 3D modeling. According to Autodesk, the software’s easy-to-learn, three-step workflow lets users achieve photorealistic results with real-world accuracy. The Mac OS X version should be available in English in March for the suggested retail price of $995.

Autodesk Maya 2009, an integrated 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution based on an open architecture, is used by film and video artists, game developers, multimedia designers, design professionals and 3D enthusiasts to create digital images, animation and visual effects. A 32-bit version is currently available in English and Japanese on the Mac OS X for Intel-based Macintosh computers for the suggested retail price of $1,995 for Maya Complete 2009 (standalone) and $4,995 for Maya Unlimited 2009 (standalone).

Autodesk Stitcher Unlimited 2009 helps create wide-angle and panoramic images, up to 360-degree spheres. With an intuitive user interface and an automatic photo-merging engine, the software is used for generating virtual tours for the web, dramatic backdrops for film and game productions, environment maps for 3D rendering and high-quality panoramic prints for artistic display. Stitcher Unlimited also interoperates seamlessly with Adobe Photoshop software. Currently available for Mac OS X in English, French, German and Japanese, the software carries a suggested retail price of $350.